Darth Vader may be appearing in Han Solo after all, if the latest report on the matter is to be believed. Lucasfilm is in the middle of relaunching the Star Wars franchise, and has done so greatly early on with the critical and financial success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. They seem poised to do it again with Star Wars: The Last Jedi this December, and while all eyes are on the next saga film, many are wondering what Han Solo will turn out to be.

Original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired from the project this summer, and Ron Howard has since stepped in to steer the boat to its final destination. However, he's reportedly reshooting a good chunk of the film and has made several changes to Lord and Miller's version of the film, in the process. One such change involved bringing Paul Bettany into the fold, and the latest may be the inclusion of Darth Vader.

Related: Paul Bettany is Done Filming Han Solo Scenes

That Hashtag Show is reporting that Darth Vader has been present on the set of Han Solo. There are no details on who is portraying the character yet, but it is believed that it is not Rogue One actor Spencer Wilding - who sparked the previous rumors of Vader appearing in the film, earlier this year. Seeing as this news is arriving on the tail-end of Howard's reshoots/production on the film, it seems that this Darth Vader appearance may have been planned after Lord and Miller left the project.

Darth Vader Comic Book Cover Art

Since there are not a lot of details to go on with this report, it really is up to speculation as to why Vader is appearing in Han Solo and if this is a last-second addition. With no previous hints of his appearance, it could show a desire from Lucasfilm to include their most iconic character to generate more buzz (and box office dollars) by having him appear for a standout sequence (just like Rogue One). One of the potential problems here is how he would factor in. Han and Vader never met before Episode IV - A New Hope, so they cannot have a run in here without potentially contradicting the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. If he is only coming in for one scene to meet side characters, then Vader's appearance might come off more as fan service than something that serves the story.

If Vader is indeed set to appear in Han Solo in any capacity, it would not be surprising if Lucasfilm revealed his presence or at the very least teased it once marketing begins. Any shot of Vader or the sound of his breathing was immediately one of the highlights in Rogue One's marketing. As that film featured completely new characters, selling fans a bit more on Vader was understandable. However, with Alden Ehrenreich stepping into Harrison Ford's iconic role as Han Solo here, Vader's inclusion here feels unnecessary from a marketing standpoint. Either way, Vader may in fact be in the Han Solo movie now, as part of Howard's vision for the film.

NEXT: Why The Han Solo Movie Doesn't Need Darth Vader

Source: That Hashtag Show

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